It's time to redo the roof, but I'm selling in two years. Which'll be better for a selling point, metal roof or 30-year shingles?

shingles

Get what looks best for the overall appearance of the house and is the cheapest.
Metal roofs are generally better quality but may not go with the "look" of the house.
The key is you are selling in two years so get as low cost as possible but still look decent - most likely shingles is the way to go.

Since you're going to sell soon, medium quality singles that look good. I finished building a house last year. I had a metal roof on the old house, and I was planning on metal again. HUGE sticker shock. I went with shingles. Metal roofs are not without their problems, too. Poor installation creates a nightmare. On my old metal roof, the installer's helper over torqued the screws and compressed the rubber o rings to the point they failed. Resulting in lots of small leaks all over the house!!

If you are going to sell I would leave it and let the next owner decide. That is money you will not get out of it. This is all based on the fact that the roof will last another couple of years.

Selling in 2 years absolutely shingles. You’ll never get close to the added cost of the metal roof selling that quick.

People want flashy, trendy home upgrades they can show off to their friends. No one says come over and check out my roof or new furnace.

A new roof will be a plus no matter what material. I would do the cheapest roof possible.

Even though I am a metal roof fan, put one on my house 20 years ago... I have to agree with those above... I doubt you would get your money back on a metal roof. The price roofers charge for theses is also a sham.... metal is so much easier labor wise to install...

If you don't have it already, you might want to look at having solar panel system installed. Many businesses that sell and install Solar also do roofs and will do a nice package deal if you need a roof done as they need to have the roof in great shape before installation. God Bless

If you were staying put, at what age would you also not consider steel roofing? What % bump are we talking about over asphalt shingles?

I would go with the lowest bid for an entry level architectural shingle. Upcharge over a 3-tab isn't that much and it will present a lot better.

While we're on the topic of pre-selling upgrades, don't do anything with kitchen counters. Whatever you pick probably won't be quite to the new owners' taste and they'll rip them out anyway.

How well do metal roofs stand up to midwestern hail storms? Would the kind of storm that gets you a new shingle roof make the metal roof look like a car with a bunch of hail dings?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Lefty Sig,

I had a metal roof put on a couple years ago and love it, but if I were selling in two years I would go with shingles.

So I’ll need to replace my roof in the next 5 years or so. For a rambler with asphalt shingles right now, what is the cost differential for a metal roof vs. an asphalt roof? For me, the home is 1650 square feet not counting the basement.

quote:

Originally posted by Black92LX:
Selling in 2 years absolutely shingles. You’ll never get close to the added cost of the metal roof selling that quick.

Exactly what I was going to say.

No one is attempting to sell right now in my neighborhood. However the last 3 new roofs installed were all metal. So I would see it as the current trend. However considering the potential sale, shingles appear to be the way to go for the OP.

I on the other hand will probably have to stay with shingles. Just had to get 1/2 of the roof replaced by homeowner insurance two or three winters back due to very, very high winter storm winds. Hopefully a 1/2 will match closely when it comes time.

I just had my roof replaced a month ago . After it was all said and done I asked the guy how much it would have cost to do metal . He said it would have added about 5k to the price .

Ran a roofing company 1995-2004. My information is a little dated, but probably still pretty accurate.

There are several types of metal roofing. They are all in the range of 3 to 10 times more expensive than composition shingle roofing.

Insurance companies like metal roofing, primarily from a fire-resistance viewpoint. That does not mean they will provide premium discounts.

Metal roofing is not hail-proof, wind-proof, or maintenance-free.

Metal roofing generally requires special attention to flashings and seals around vents and penetrations (chimneys, skylights, etc). A common short-cut by installers is to use common shingle-type products because the specialty products cost significantly more and require skilled installation.

Attic ventilation is a major factor with metal roofing. Failure to provide adequate ventilation can lead to catastrophic damage within a few years due to encapsulated moisture.

The best and most professionally done metal roofing installations should be inspected annually by a competent roofing contractor and any deficiencies taken care of promptly. Don't expect this to be done for nothing!

Regardless of the type of metal roofing installed you should not expect the appraisal or sale price to reflect the additional expense involved.

If you live in an area subject to snow storms you should understand that gutters are very unlikely to survive any heavy snow storm. Snow will stick to the cold metal during the storm and build up, then the heat from the structure will melt the snow from the bottom up, so there may be several tons of snow on the roof until it rests on little more than ice water on a friction-free surface, then it comes off in sheets. Rain gutters will be torn off. Exposed decks, patios, furniture, shrubbery, landscaping, and other lovely stuff will be destroyed.

Insurance adjusters looking at metal roofing after a hail storm and seeing hail dents will usually consider that only "cosmetic" damage rather than structural damage. Maybe a small allowance for appearance (minus your deductible, of course), but no new roof claim.

Applied finishes on metal roofing may vary from baked-on acrylic paint to slurry coats of stone chips in a base coat of epoxy. All are subject to weather damage, particularly ultra-violet damage from sunlight. You can expect degradation to become apparent within 5 to 10 years, and very few will look like new after that.

Nuff said?

I love my metal roof. If I had to replace it...not sure I’d pay the cost to have it done right. If you get architectural shingles like GAF HDZ and have them done by GAF certified roofers you get 25 year coverage and no maximum wind rating. So let’s say a 150 mph hurricane wind rips the shingles off. GAF replaces them. They look good, they’re well made.

1 layer? You may be able to save some by skipping the tear off if so.